Questions from May 2011
My car was recently driven into by a thrd party who admitted responsibility. The damage was minor; rear window and bumper. The car was sent to a garage to be assessed, and an estimate of £1300 made for...
I bought a Saab 93, 06 Reg from a dealer in January with 12-months warranty and 49K on the clock. On Saturday it broke down and I had to flatbed it back to the dealer. Diagnosis is that it needs a new...
I want to buy a five-year-old manual Audi A6 2.0-litre diesel and wish to keep it for five years. I have heard that there are reliability problems with the engine. Is this true and if so would i better...
I am 6'10" tall, aged 66 and currently have a 2-litre Xsara Picasso Exclusive HDI.
I love the styling, size, driving position, mpg. etc. but it is seven years old at 75,000 miles.
Should I be starting...
I get really fed up and irate when prats (usually but not always driving BMWs or Audis) speed past me or generally drive inappropriately for the road conditions.
Speed limits and so on are there for a...
Stupidly reversed into the sharp corner of a kerb that has resulted in a piece of rubber coming off the side wall of rear passenger run flat tyre.
Tyre is not bulging or deflated and I have successfully...
Can we have decibel comparisons at 30 & 70MPH on all new cars?
The extra noise in smaller cars is exhausting over longer journeys and with a radio at a level we can hear at speed I wonder just how high...
I have always believe that, to have the enlarged tyres, especially in circumference, will give the more mileage. The tyre size of my car is 195/55 R15 and I would like to know if I am allowed to change...
We own a 1998 BMW Z3 2.8 and we've had it from new. It has 47,000 on the clock and is a brilliant car. We love it but we've treated it rather more like a fell pony than a thoroughbred and it has wintered...
In October of last year I purchased a pre-registered Volkswagen Fox ( registered in June, 2010. ).
For a number of reasons, by June of this year it will only have covered some 2,000 miles. Will Volkswagen...
I bought a 95 MX5 from a specialist garage 6 weeks ago. I have recently sent it to my local garage to get a few things looked at and asked them to do an inspection.
They spotted a lot of faults with it,...
I will be averaging about 20,000 miles an year in the foreseeable future commuting to work on the M40(70 miles round trip). Preferably need an automatic as left knee is dodgy post surgery.
Current car...
Sorry - got a 2 part question for you:
Part 1
I've spent £1,000 on my 52 Reg 60,000 mile 307SW 1.6 SE in the last 12 months fixing electrical and suspension problems (BSR unit, washer pump, front wishbones...
I am looking to buy a car with a chain-driven camshaft engine and auto gear box (preferably with torque converter).
Recently when driving longer distances I have experienced pain in my upper leg and would...
Looking for a diesel automatic that I can sleep in if I have to.
I travel a lot abroad for work and a number of times have been stuck or reached somewhere too late to get a hotel, so I need a vehicle...
I am looking for a used small estate car or square ended hatchback which has good mpg which will not depreciate massively. I will drive the car 110 miles a day for my work commute so it need to be economical,...
I have a Modus 1.5Dci 106 which has 185/55/16 inch tyres , these are only available from a few manufactures . Is it possible to safely fit 195/50/16 inch tyres and if so what are the disadvantages?
My daughter kept complaining about driving along a dual carriageway, approaching a roundabout and not being able to select any gears at all, works fine around town and short trips on Motorway / Dual carriageway.
I...
I have a 1.6 C-MAX on a 55-plate and the gearbox selector is very stiff to change gears, as if trying to push through toffee. What is at fault?
I was involved in an accident last weekend, when the car behind's brakes failed and ploughed into the back of me. The other party has accepted full liability (and is fully insured) and my insurance company...
My gearstick is struggling to get into gear, particularly first and reverse. What would be the likely cause and remedy? How much is likely to cost to sort out?
Can I park outside someone's drive if they are not in? Have they got the right to say its restricted parking?
I've recently deen the victim of a very nasty crime where the front bumper/skirt on my BMW was stolen (on the same night my nebighours car was broken into and one was stolen from down the road). I'm sure...
I am buying a 2005 Fiesta 1.4 Zetec and I would like to know at what mileage/age the timing belt should be changed?
I'm recently retired after 25 years company car use now need to purchase a car (not new).
Budget £10k. Five-year-old max, reasonable running costs, average or less than average mileage expected, economy/reliability...
Since the warranty expired I have been plagued by the failure of the airmatic suspension.
The car is a Sept. 2005 model & I have now had to replace all four struts & other parts of the Airmatic system....
Please help, I live up a very rough farm track and don't really want the expense of fixing a 4x4. Can you tell me about any cars that have really good ground clearance that are economical to run? I also...
Hi, just collected approved used 2004 Jazz from the main dealer.
They 'forgot' to include the MOT advisory, or to return my call when I queried it, so I checked it online at the VOSA website.
The car...
I was recently involved in a accident that was not my fault and the other party has admitted liability. My car is now going to be written off as it is uneconomical to repair. I've been told the hire car...
I'm in the market for a new car to replace my 52-reg Ford Galaxy Ghia 1.9 TDI. I'm looking for something similar and I can't decide whether to go with diesel or petrol.
I've noticed the Citroen C4 Grand...
I have a 2004 Mazda RX8 192 that I bought in April 2005 with 5,000mls on the clock. I bought it from a Mazda Dealer with a full service history and I have kept it fully serviced and maintained as per the...
We'd like to replace our Renault Scenic for our reritement. Which would you recommend Honda Jazz or Toyota Verso? Need a high driving position.
I have been looking at a used 52-plate Punto. No service history, 100,000 miles, MILKY SUBSTANCE on oil filler cap, but oil on dip stick is clean! No over heating, no misfiring, can you help me? Should...
We have a 2010 A-Class that is very uncomfortable on our country roads. Is there an alternative small car? Or have I got to move up to a medium size to get more comfort? Maybe a Focus/ C-MAX or a Mazda...
I have a Honda Jazz CVT auto - 56 plate @ 17000 miles. Just bought.
Within days I noticed a wobble sometimes occurring at between 30 - 40 mph as if the body is shimmying side to side. Sometimes occurs...
Two months ago I purchased a brand new Ford Fiesta.
Last week, whilst my car was parked in my work car park, another colleague drove into it and damaged my rear bumper (taking off roughly an inch of...
On reading your page on 1 May, I was shocked to read the item headed "Mourning campers" because I was totally unaware of the forthcoming ban on non-EU4 diesel engines within the LEZ, which drastically...
You ran an email on the usefulness and accuracy of official fuel economy figures, and mentioned you were adding the ability to log real life fuel consumption figures on your website. Like some of your...
After five years with an automatic Honda Jazz, I have switched to the new Jazz (also fully automatic) and I find the transmission quite a disappointment. Whereas my first Jazz was a wonderfully smooth...
My daughter's 2008 Ford Fiesta came with alloy wheels and low profile tyres. These look great and make for superb handling on smooth roads, but after the bad winter and the resulting potholes she has had...
I was recently (January) caught speeding in a temporary speed limit area on a dual carriageway in Essex. Whilst I am not complaining about being caught (I am quite prepared to accept a fine and points)...
Are there any situations where singles could reduce car insurance by adding other named drivers to our policies, such as brothers, sisters etc? If not possible, isn't this action just a bit 'spousist'?...
My house is very close, (just over three metres at the closest point), to a busy A-road that carries a lot of HGV traffic. Just over three months ago a depression and potholes appeared in the road just...
My Jaguar X-Type Estate 2.0D is getting on in years, and I am thinking of changing it for a nearly-new Vauxhall Insignia Estate, probably diesel. Does this car have a good reliability record, and which...
I own a 2005 Volvo V50 2.4i with 49,000 miles on the clock. The computer now shows me 'Anti-skid Service - Required'. Reading the blog on the Volvo Forum, apparently Volvo have known of this problem for...
My wife has a 5-year-old 1.6 petrol engined Fiat Sedici with 30,000 miles which has been an excellent buy with absolutely no running problems, just regular dealer servicing. It has proved to be economical...
If you don't already know you'll be interested to learn that Swindon Borough Council are to install speed controlled lights which will be operational in the autumn. They will not operate in rush hours...
Last September I replaced my C220CDi Mercedes-Benz Estate (85,000 miles) with a Blue Efficiency C200 CDi Mercedes Estate – both diesel automatics. Over the life of my old car I averaged about 37mpg and...
I have a major problem with my insurance company following a "no fault" accident in October 2010. The company's mismanagement of the incident has left me significantly out of pocket. My formal complaint...
I have had occasion to use Addison Lee mini cabs recently. They run a fleet of Ford Galaxys and the drivetrain seems to be particularly smooth. Do you know which particular drive train they use?
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